


Learning You Were Wrong

by lunaseemoony



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Apologies, Beauty and the Beast Elements, Episode Fix-It: s02e04 The Girl in the Fireplace, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Romantic Gestures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-05-10
Packaged: 2018-06-07 15:24:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6810910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunaseemoony/pseuds/lunaseemoony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor indulges a little childhood fantasy of Rose's in an attempt to apologize for his behavior in France.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Learning You Were Wrong

**Author's Note:**

> I'm working on uploading fics from tumblr to complete collections.

“It’s ridiculous, that. Look at that dress! You want one of those?” Mick snorted, waggling a finger at the telly before heading towards the sitting room door. “Thought you were joking way back then!”

Rose threw a pillow at him, but missed when he darted away and out the door. Best be rid of the lummox anyway, if he wouldn’t be at all supportive. He was supposed to be on her side. Instead he’d teased her throughout the entire film, reminding her that Belle was French, just like - 

She never even uttered the name. It was petty and immature, sure. But she was allowed, after saving the universe enough times, she decided. Just this once she indulged the ugly green monster. The Doctor and Rose hadn’t spoken properly as they used to in two weeks. Mick was well within right to be frustrated. The Doctor had come to be her source of comfort. With that rug yanked out from under her, Rose resorted to her treasured childhood fantasies. When they were kids, Mick thought it was cute. Promised he’d even dance with her. He never did. That made two disappointments avoiding her on the TARDIS. 

“I’ve got that dress. Not in gold, mind. It’s blue. Otherwise the same though. It would be perfect for you, if you want.”

Rose swiveled on her perch in the armchair to see the Doctor leaned up against the door frame. His voice, his stance, his entire standoffish presence was coated in nonchalance. He wouldn’t even pry his eyes away from the paused screen. A tiny smile pulled at one corner of his mouth. 

 

* * *

 

“I’m _not_  coming out!” Rose shouted in protest from inside her wardrobe. 

“Are you decent?” the Doctor knocked and then yelled back. 

“Yes, but… I feel _ridiculous_ in this!”

She forgot he had a skeleton key setting to the sonic. He peered into the dark room to find her frozen in front of her vanity. It was easy to say she looked absurd, difficult to explain her tears. He rested one hand on her bare shoulder as he came into behind her in the mirror, _dressed_. Rose gasped.

“You’re gorgeous, Rose,” he whispered into her ear. 

“Is that… a cravat?” she blurted out, and ground her hand into the wood of the vanity table to hide its shaking. “Your jacket, it’s _gold_.” 

He beamed, of course. “We match! Well, complement, even better!”

“I feel like _her_ , though.” Rose confessed, and ran her gloved hand over her shimmering gown with a grimace. 

“It’s not about her tonight,” he asserted quietly. Rose breathed in, but it came back out in shakes. “Shh,” he twirled her around by one hand and pressed one finger to her lips. “You’re scared, scared of having a little dream. I want to put  _her_  behind us by at least trying to do right by you.” He latched on to a little smile and curled his finger under her chin. “Nothing wrong with a childhood dream, Rose.” 

She spent the time it took him to set the TARDIS’s coordinates silently disagreeing with him, particularly after Mick saw them both and chuckled. She was even more skeptical when he dropped her off and came back to pick her up, doing nothing to slow her racing heartbeats. Not until he showed her the abandoned castle, at least. 

“One quick thing. If you’ll follow me in here,” the Doctor stammered as he pulled her into a little parlor. 

He lit up the parlor with the sonic to reveal a mural of rose petals on the floor that spelled out, “I’m so sorry.” 

“I wanted to use that whole ballroom, but then we’d have no place to dance,” the Doctor explained as he escorted her back out to the ballroom. 

As they stepped into the center of the room, one familiar song from her childhood began playing on a few speakers placed around the ballroom. 

“Oh no, Doctor. You can’t be serious!” 

The Doctor winked and grinned. “Oh, Rose, we’ve got to!” He then bowed and added with a gentle smile, “Care to have this dance?” 


End file.
